Without Kyrie Irving, LeBron James’ monumental task just got harder

The Golden State Warriors threw a steady diet of single coverage at the world’s greatest basketball player at a raucous Oracle Arena in Oakland in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, daring LeBron James to beat them by himself

James finished with 44 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a brilliant performance, time and again resigning the Oracle crowd to groans in the second half by scoring on post-ups or assisting to Cleveland Cavaliers teammates for wide open shots. Had his last-second jumpshot not been off the mark with the score tied, the game never would have gone to overtime, where the Warriors pulled away for a 1-0 series leadRead more…